Dave & Margs' Travels

And for those of you that haven't actually seen us or spoken to us. We are of course and have been for a few weeks now. We are busy sorting out the photos and when we get it to a sensible number we will let you see them.

Margs & Dave

Thanks to all those who joined in the competition and made their guesses or intelligent answers. It was nice to hear from you and know there were people out there reading the blog. For all those who had problems in logging in - that was a shame, but thanks for the emails.

So here are all the questions, answers and most importantly RESULTS
There is a slight problem that at this moment in time I can’t find my diaries to check the answers but I’ll do my best.

Q1 Guess how much our check in luggage weighed? Approx 28kg
Q2 What was the first thing Margs thought she has lost? Phone at Heathrow!
Q3 Who was the last person to text us before we left the uk? Dee, Dave’s sister
Q4 What was the name of the sailing yacht we went on? GUNHANA II (Jan)
Q5 What did I (Margs) lose and have to replace? I left my hat on a bus
Q6 How many dead possums did Dave and I see on the day trip to Cape Reigna? 5
Q7 What do possums and polar bears have in common? hollow hair (Jan)
Q8 How many different beers has Dave tried in the first week in New Zealand?
Truth is we couldn’t really remember but we guessed 10
Q9 Q What time was sun rise (at Rere NZ)? It was lovely. 5.31am
Q10 Quess the nick name of the Eagle Ray that Dave and I felt? Notch
Q11 What animal did Old MacDonald have on his farm - a clue - its a bird. Peacock (Jan)
Q12 What level was snow at in Km on the Tongaria Crossing. 1.6km
Q13 (at Hunters Vineyard) of the 9 which was our favourite wine? 3rd (white)
Q14 (Thursday 21st Dec) what is our current driver's name? Nemo, as in finding Nemo
Q15 (Christmas Day) What (well-known party) dance did I do? Hokey Cokey ( I didn’t know how to spell Macerina so wouldn’t have had that as a question!)
Q16 Tuatapere is the NZ capital for what? Sausages (Tim – bonus 2pts)
Q17 (Dunedin) so what were the names given to the pair of penguins that made their home in a tyre? Mitch and Lin
Q18 (Dunedin) what is the name of the World's Steepest Street? Baldwin Street (Tim (but not after Mike Baldwin!))
Q19 (Mount Cook – New Years Eve) We played 3 games. Guess how many of my balls were left on the table in total from the three games? Not sure now, but 5 rings a bell
Q20 (Pahia - our instructor, an 18 year old English lad) What was his name? Oli
Q21 what was the name of our boat? (named after a New Zealand bird)? Kakapo
Q22 (Russell - Swordfish Club) We saw info on a possible relative of ours. Who was it and what achievements did that person have? Kura Beale (loads of line and other world records for all sorts of fish 1940s-1960s).
Q23 Fiji Otto & Fannys- 1 night somewhere else - which island are we going to? Barefoot Island
Q24 During our trip how many times have we spent 4 consecutive nights in the same accommodation? Once - Auckland
Q25 During our trip how many times have we spent 3 consecutive nights in the same accommodation? Eight - Singapore, Sydney, Queenstown, On our boat, Otto & Fannys, Rarotonga Backpackers, Aitutaki, Tahiti,
Q26 During our trip how many times have we spent 2 consecutive nights in the same accommodation? Eleven - Tanu Beach, Auckland, Pahia, Auckland, Hicks Bay, Abel Tasman, Franz Josef, Dunedin, Christchurch, Muri Beach, LA Motel
Q27 (Aitutaki, Cook Islands) We also ate something purple, what was it? Sweet Potato
Q28 (LA Thursday night free pool 5 games) what was the final score? 3-2 to Dave (Jim)

Random Question1: how many nights will we spend in dorms in our trip? 3
Random Question2: What did Dave leave where? A pair of trousers in Singapore hotel wardrobe.

Results:
Jan 3
Tim 3
Jim 1
Darren 0.8 (he tried hard & Barefoot Island is where he went on the Captain Cook yacht)
Paula 0.2 - for trying
Christine 0.2 - for trying

I will award the title of winner to Jan as Tim only got double points on his first answer as Jan had taken such a lead. And quite honestly anyone who contacts the penguin sanctuary to ask the staff the names of penguins deserves it!

And so it came to the day when we packed our bags for the final time! How strange was that after 77 days on the trip.

We went for an early morning walk along the beach, took some photos of us on the volleyball court and walked along to Venice Beach. We were passed by individual runners and running clubs all training for the marathon a month later. At Venice Beach we saw the Muscle Beach (open air gym) where Arnie used to work out. There were more cafes etc where we could have had breakfast at Venice Beach and it looked a nice place to spend a day as people started to set up their stalls etc, but we had to catch the bus back to our motel to check out and grab the bags. A quick detour to the 3rd Street Promenade - the pedestrian shopping area to buy stuff at the shop that had shut on us the previous night and we made our way to the bus stop.

Once again thanks to the nice lady at the tourist info, rather than a $14 shuttle each we paid 75c and had an hours bus ride to the airport - another real bargain. We donated to the war veterans association in return for the collector agreeing to post our postcards as there were no post boxes at the airport, and we went through to the smallest departure lounge possible for such a major airport. There were two shops and two restaurant bars and that was pretty much it. We ate to kill time and boarded our last flight home.

The promise of two seats together and no-one next to us, failed to materialise as a guy sat next to us, but Dave told the airhostesses it was our honeymoon and two seats at the back were reserved for us once we'd taken off. Champagne, wine, dinner, Borat and sleep and we were flying over the south coast of England. We were half an hour ahead of schedule but after circling round over Dorking for half and hour we landed at normal time and were kindly met by Jon and Kelly from Volleyball, complete with sign for us.

Now it will probably take us as many weeks to sort the photos!

Thanks to the very helpful lady in the tourist info we spent $3.50 on travel cards and had an interesting bus / train / bus journey to Universal studios rather than an organised tour with fixed times and a $48 each charge. With our discount vouchers getting us $10 off admission each - it was a bargain day.

Once inside we made our way to the much publised studio tour and sitting on board open coaches dragged behind a vehicle we made our way round the site. We passed countless large studios (large warehouse type buildings) some with work in progress, others used as sets for tv programs etc and passed the bungalows which were originally used by actors and actresses to get changed and are now offices and used by directors and writers. We passed by Alfred Hitchcocks bungalow and on further to see a demo of how the technical guys can rig up cars to do stunts and have bullet holes appear and fires etc. Further round we were attacked by King Kong shaking the bridge we were on, Jaws attacked us and set off explosions in fuel containers and cheaky small dinosaurs from Jurassic park did their worst. We saw an impressive flood, the scale model of the ship in King Kong, the crashed aeroplane scene from the Tom Cruise version of War of the Worlds and further on experienced an earthquake. All good fun.

After the tour we went into Shrek 4D - a 3D film with added effects (except some of mine didn't work!) and on to Water World a show involving jet skis, lots of pyrotechnics etc and stunts including a sea plane crash landing just feet from us. Despite the 'soaked seats' warning we actually remained dry. By the end of the performance you could see why it was only a twice daily show.

Next stop the rather rubbish "Fear Factor Live" - why would you want to drink that stuff (!) and the much better although still rather stupid "special effects" show during which we saw robots move, camera tricks and we added sound effects to a silent film. We went in "Back Draft" another excuse for loads more film tricks and pyrotechnics. Dave went on "The Mummy" ride alone and ended up on "Back to the Future" on his own too when I bottled out at the last minute as it all seemed to chlostrophobic.

That about wrapped it up for the Studios, so we took bus and train to China Town hoping for a nice restaurant with an eat as much as you like buffet. Dave has now come to the conclusion there are few cities with China Towns as nice as London and LA was no exception so we were back on the train and bus to Santa Monica having done an hours detour. It was rush hour and the traffic was slow, in fact it got very slow as it turned out they had shut one of the freeways due to an accident and the locals on the bus had never seen it so bad. It was just like the M25 on a typical Friday night.

Back in Santa Monica we went to the food hall and had a 3dishes plus rice option at the Chinese there and thoroughly enjoyed it although some of the dishes had a big kick to them. We did some late night shopping and went for a quick drink at the same pub as the previous night.

We were staying in the Santa Monica area and actually moved nearer to the pier to a cheap motel after one night. We visited the pier and beach, watched sunset, had a drink in Buba Gump's Shrimp Shop (Forrest Gump fame), dinner in Ye Olde Kings Head and walked home. It was cold - two jumpers sort of weather. In fact it was the coldest it had been at the time of year since 1931 - sounds about right for us!

The next day was a tour of Beverley Hills, Hollywood, seeing the sign, seeing the celebs houses (or large grown hedges and big gates), the stars in the pavement by the Chinese Theatre and all the tacky things that go with it. Lots of the celebs, particularly US TV stars we hadn't heard of but we did see homes belonging to the Regans, David Hasselhoff, Phil Collins, Leonardo de Caprio, Madonna, Phoebe from Friends, Dean Martin, Shirley Temple, Nicole Kidman etc. We saw the wall OJ Simpson jumped over but the house had been demolished and rebuilt. We went to the hotel where Pretty Woman was set but we didn't see anyone famous - or at least no-one famous enough for us to recognise them. As the driver said all of Hollywood is rather plain but glamed up for TV and the Walk of Fame didn't look much at all with lots of t-shirt and souvenir shops bordering it. We ate lunch outside Universal Studios and in the afternoon visited China Town and where LA started with the first 11 families settling. The day had been what we expected - tacky but fun.

It was Thursday which was ladies night at the bar we went to so we got free pool which was always a bonus. We played for an hour and had 5 games....

Q what was the final score?

It was nice to be in Budweiser land and we bought it by the pitcher as it was cheaper. A late-ish night but we did leave before the place shut.

We were woken by noisy traffic, (how we missed the barking of dogs and shrilling of cockrels from Cook). 6 of us went on the 4x4 trip, a Canadian couple, Aussie couple and us. We had a good day travelling round the coast road to the north and then inland. We saw permanent waterfalls and the marks remaining from the 400 or so temporary ones created during the rainy parts of the rainy season (we didn't have any), and where the water had washed some of the road away and created pot holes. We crossed a ford where a guy was washing his car, sw dams and rivers, had a swim and saw the two highest peaks on Tahiti which is on the rim of the original volcanoe which had blown the top off. Our journey took us through the crater left in the middle.

The road across to the south of the island had been damaged some time ago by weather and was being rebuilt and so after lunch we returned on the same route, stopping off at an ancient sacred site to hear about some of the history of the island and people and then a second swim this time at a waterfall where Dave dived in off a rock and we went in a small area with a strong current which was like a jacuzzi but much colder. It was nice to see some of the greener and scenery in the middle of the island as the beaches really weren't much to write home about.

We were pleased we had done Tahiti as planned but we wouldn't recommend that anyone makes a special effort to go there. There a nicer parts of French Polynesia such as Bora Bora but they are very expensive.

We spent the day just relaxing on the deck and snorkelling in the clear waters in front of us. Mathias reported that Fiji had warned our island it would be affected by Cyclone Arthur and that we would have to batten up the hatches later that afternoon but then as he looked at the sky he said don't worry it won't happen. He was right - it passed by 200km away.

We left the next morning and flew back to Rarotonga and were met by a transfer to our new accommodation at Muri Beach on the east of the island. We had a first floor apartment with balcony view overlooking the garden and beach. It was a resort area with several accommodations and restaurants and sailing club but it was still very chilled. It was also the first place we had been to all holiday that had sunbeds and so we tried to make use of them when we could, even when the tide was in and we were part surrounded by water.

We walked, we cooked, we swam in very shallow water with a strong current so you swam to keep in the same place etc. We also shut a friendly geko in our louvre window! I liked the gekos but when it got to night time and there was one wandering around our room I wasn't so keen as we didn't have mosquito nets and I didn't want it crawling on me in the night. When it went through the louvre window we shut it quick and it was trapped between the window and the mosquito screen on the outside. Moments later another one got in our room. I had an interrupted nights sleep!

One day we caught a bus to a marine reserve where the snorkelling was fantastic. The only problem was people feed the fish in the reserve, mostly with stale bread we think, but it did mean that fish larger than I liked surrounded us wanting food. At one point Dave and I had to just go for it and swim through a shoal of about 20 fish all about 10 inches or more. We got up one morning and saw sunrise accompanied by a three-legged dog and his four legged mate. On our final morning we walked across to the nearby motu at low tide. The walk there was quite straigh forward. We got attacked by mossies when we went to watch some hermit crabs and we went for a wander and headed back. The wade back was more exciting - we saw a sea snake (which we carefully avoided), other long pointed nosed fish, new butterfly fish we hadn't seen before, a large shell and Dave tried in vain to pick up a tiny (1 inch) butterfly fish which took a liking to his orange reef shoes and hid by them.

We missed going to watch a small volleyball tournament by about 1/2hour but sat and relaxed and watched a few sailing races which was very slow as there was barely any wind. Dave (newly experienced skipper) commented on tactics and techniques of all the competitors. The weather was lovely, the people friendly and the pace of life slow. We could have stayed in the Cook Islands for a very long time and our decision to reduce the time spent in Tahiti and have more time in Cook was a very good one. We would recommend it to anyone. It is probably the best bit of our trip.

On probably the hottest day of our holiday, temperatures about 30 degrees, we decided to cycle round the island. We visited the harbour, post office (which sold us stamps for our postcards which were Christmas stamps from the 1992), bank (where I got a $3 note) and the oldest church in the Cook Islands which has an anchor hanging from the ceiling. Further round we reached a wharf for our first view out at the main group of motus (sandy islands).

At the second wharf we reached there was a boy fishing accompanied by his sister or young friend. We watched as he threw hermit shells to the ground to break the shell, ripped the body off and used it as bait on his fishing rod which was a bamboo cane, piece of string and a hook. He was very successful catching fish very quickly. The little girl was minding his catch of about half a dozen fish all wriggling about on a piece of wood - he didn't kill them, just left them to die. Occassionally one would fall off and she would pick it up and put it back in its place.

We both had a go at fishing and were successful, Dave even managing to land a fish that wasn't on the hook. It is somewhat easier to fish when you can see them biting. The clear water was a real bonus. We continued our cycle ride and stopped at a bar in an area that suffered so much from mosquitos that it anti spray on the bar for customers to use. We cycled further round the island and climbed the hill to see the views which were spectacular.

In the evening we went to an island night on the north east of the island. We watched the sunset behing the hill of the island and an obnoxious man spoke to us saying Sunsets were too commercial as too many people saw it and we should get up for sunrise. Thankfully we weren't sat too near him at dinner. The compere asked for couples celebrating to go on the dance floor and Dave and I lead the way followed by 4 other couples who were dragged up and we all received a garland of flowers round our neck. This was followed by a buffet dinner and then the dancers started. The men can move their feet so quickly and the women can wiggle their hips at a great speed. However, the dancing seemed to be lots of made up dances to enter into competitions as opposed to Samoa where they had been genuine traditional dances. Towards the end of the performances the dancers got people on the dance floor and Dave danced with two young girls. I did the apple pear dance which is basically wiggling your hips left, right, left, right, left, left, left, right, left, right, left, right, right, right.

We sat down and after the performance had finished they dragged the ten of us with garlands back on the dance floor and we took part in a dancing competition. Dave moved his feet so fast and I wiggled my hips and we were selected as winners and have a prize to prove it.

As we waited for the second transport home so we could enjoy a complimentary drink. We were talking to an Aussie girl who had been working as a doctor and she was telling us that if you step on a stoney fish the side affects are that you think hot is cold and vice versa. The treatment is to stand in as near boiling water as possible as soon as you can. She said there had been lots of locals ready with boiling water when one was stepped on by Miss Australia, compere to UK Survivor which had just finished filming.

We landed on a motu (small island) called Maine, which is one of the few nesting places of Red Tailed Tropic Birds as there are no rats on the island. We walked around on the sandy beaches spotting parent birds on nests and fat fluffy chicks and watched colourful fish come near to the shore in the clear waters. Mathias cooked lunch - fish, taro, sort of spinage, and a sort of jelly which is a combination of banana and something (can't remember what, but I do remember some local guy is now making a fortune marketing the stuff).

Q We also ate something purple, what was it?

We sailed back, stopping on route for another snorkel and arrived back at the dock about 5pm ish. A big game fishing boat had just arrived back in port and a forklift truck had gone to meet it. After a few attempts they managed to lift a 9ft Marlin out of the fishing boat with approximate weight of 200kg - a nice little profit for the captain and the guys who paid to go out on the trip didn't even get to keep some of the tuna. We decided not to bother going the next day but in all honesty I don't think the boat was going out as they had made a nice little profit and there wasn't much fuel on the island. In fact we had passed 2 petrol stations with no petrol. The locals seem quite cool about it and just accept it. Talking to a Aussie girl who'd temperoraily worked at the hospital she said sometimes it gets quiet as the ambulance can't get to people and the people can't get to the hospital so you end up with only really really urgent cases that have found a way!

We watched a nice sunset from the beach by our hut, lots of reds etc, and then cooked dinner and went to bed. The toilet was in the garden and although it wasn't far you definitely needed a torch as there were large hermit crabs about, one we saw had claws the size of childs fingers.

Actually that may not be how you spell the name of the island I can't remember. But you'll know which one it is if you look up Cook on the internet, it is a spectatular atoll. We didn't get full benefit as we flew in at 5.30ish am but you could see the island the sandy beaches and the light blue waters around it enclosed in the reef.

We were staying in the ground floor of accommodation described as a tree house on the beach on the west coast. The accommodation had been rebuilt since we had seen it advertised in the Sunday Times last Feb as the cyclone had got it.

Day 1 - we went out with the host on his sailing canoe and weird contraption which didn't look sea worthy especially as we headed out of the reef to see turtles. We saw about 5 but all too quick for us to swim after them. Back into the lagoon we went snorkelling and saw giant clams about a foot or more in size. We were concerned about the state of the craft but the host Mithias was certainly a sailor when the propellor stopped when a loose rope from the sail stopped it and he untangled it using the tray he would later use to cook lunch. Snorkelling was good if rough and I saw another turtle but it was gone by the time I yelled to Dave....

Rarotonga (Cook's largest island) was our first port of call in Cook. We arrived late friday having crossed the date line from Saturday and then the following morning took the bus into town. We wandered round the market, the town and visited a few sites mentioned in the walking tour of the Lonely Planet. The bus service finishes at 2pm on Saturday but is very unreliable so we ended up cadging a lift from a kind lady to get back.

We walked along to a marine reserve to snorkel and the first fish we saw was the type that chased us in Fiji - a Picasso Triggerfish. AAAH! We snorkelled dodging it path. We saw sunset and hunderds of crabs wander the beach shortly after.

Sunday we went on an island tour in a 4x4 and had a traditional meal cooked underground afterwards. It was nice seeing round the island despite the rain - but then again it was the rainy season.